Grapes (Vitis vinifera) are native to the Mediterranean region, and are of huge cultural significance because they can be made into wine. There are over 10,000 varieties of grape, with many different flavours.
Improving crop value in India
In the mountainous dry lands of central India, farmers usually grow cotton or lentils, relying on rain for water. Productivity and prices of these crops are affected by variations in monsoon cycles, which are becoming more extreme as a result of climate change. This makes it difficult to earn a reliable living from farming these crops.
Introducing rainwater tanks and efficient irrigation to these areas provides a buffer against dry periods, and means that farmers can reliably grow higher-value crops such as grapes. The increased income from these crops leads to investment in mechanisation, and an improved quality of living and education.
Too little water leads to small grapes with high sugar content; overwatering leads to higher yields, but the grapes are tasteless.
A partnership with nature
Changing behaviours and switching to growing a different crop is not straightforward. By asking questions such as how climate change affects farming practices, how social networks and learning influence adoption of new techniques, or how pricing of water can help improve the sutainability of groundwater use, we can help develop an understanding of the ‘value’ that individuals and societies associate with nature.
Rekha Bhangaonkar (Department of Land Economy)
Agriculture is the most ancient transactional relationship between human beings and nature, yet many challenges exist to understanding how to cultivate food sustainably and ethically. Rekha is interested in how we can use behavioural economics to address these challenges. She is also working with Fenland farmers in Cambridgeshire to understand how new agricultural policies and sustainable farming incentives are changing their land use.
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